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Things To Do And Eat In Austin!

For many of you, this is the first trip to our fair city; for others the city is like a second home. Every year, the team at Fantastic Fest puts together a list of everything we love to visit, eat, drink and buy to share with our guests. We hope you have fun exploring our city!

Breakfast Tacos
Breakfast tacos are a Texas institution, and one of the best breakfast options you can choose: fast, filling, cheap and delicious. Some of the best breakfast tacos can be found at...

● Maria’s Taco Express
2529 S. Lamar Blvd, Austin TX 78704
512-444-0261
We are crazy for breakfast tacos in Austin and Maria’s is one of the best. After the addiction sets in, you can pick up her Argentinian-influenced Loco Maria Chimichurri sauce to take home with you.

● El Tacorrido
2316 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704
512 912-1939
A relative newcomer to the taco scene, El Tacorrido took over an old double-sided burger drive through stand and has been getting rave reviews ever since. Authentic, delicious and fast (and just around the corner from Alamo South Lamar!)

SXSW's Jarod Neece authors the definitive guide to taco culture, breakfast and otherwise at TacoJournalism. He’s also penned a nice book on the subject of Austin breakfast tacos.

Breakfast and Sweets
If you tire of breakfast tacos, here are some other options as well as some places to satisfy your sweet tooth.

● Bouldin Creek Coffee House and Café
1900 S 1st St., Austin, TX 78704
512-416-1601
This South Austin spot is an institution despite its shiny new location, and has lots of vegetarian and vegan options.

● Sugar Mamas
1905 South 1st St. Ste A, Austin TX 78704
512-448-3727
They open a bit late for breakfast, but we would be remiss in not recommending Sugar Mamas, our favorite sweets and incredibly rich cupcakes.

● Big Top Candy Shop
1706 S. Congress, Austin, TX 78704
512-462-2220
Big Top Candy Shop is a time warp to an infinitely superior era, when soda fountains and malt balls and chocolate-dipped pretzels ruled the galaxy. Make sure you ask for the secret non-menu item The Hawaiian Style Shaved Ice. It's a MAJOR RAGER.

● Combo Donut
1509 S. Lamar Ste. 200, Austin, TX 78704
512-326-7646
Just a block from the theater, and features the flavors, low prices AND interior design of the mom n' pop doughnut shops of your youth. Warning: they close at 1 PM, so grab a dozen early! The blueberry cake doughnut is HIGHLY recommended, and they sell individual Capri Suns!

Lunch
Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but lunch is when the big guns come out (i.e. cheeseburgers… pizza…)

● A-OK Chinese
1509 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
(512) 428-5269
Very near (and dear) to us; just a couple blocks from your screenings at FF central! A-Ok offers a revolutionary take on Chinese cuisine, founded by former Fantastic Fest omega-chef John Bullington. One of the newest stars on the Austin culinary horizon.

● Whole Foods Flagship
525 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78703
512-542-2200
Whole Foods started in Austin in 1980. Today, their flagship stands as perhaps the ultimate supermarket in the world. Not just a spot for groceries, Whole Foods features a dozen restaurants scattered throughout the store, and enormous specialty gourmet sections. Surprisingly, Whole Foods features some of the best in-town barbeque as well (though nothing comes close to Franklin's or La BBQ -- see below).

● Quality Seafood Market
5621 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751
512-454-5827
Years ago, Quality Seafood was nothing more than a fine seafood shop, selling fish to restaurants and the public over their retail counter. Then the owner had the epiphany to build a bar in the center of the shop and start selling delectable fried and grilled seafood as finger food. Now it’s one of our favorite hangout in Austin. The raw oysters are terrific, as are the catfish beignets.

● El Pollo Regio
6615 Berkman Drive, Austin, TX 78723
512-933-9557
They start smoking the chickens at about 7 AM, and by 11, those in the know are lined up for what I consider to be one of the best birds that has ever passed my lips. There used to be only two things on the menu (it has since expanded a bit but I never venture from the chicken): half chicken ($6) or whole chicken ($11). It comes with a stack of fresh corn tortillas, a roasted onion, rice, and the tastiest, creamy green tomatillo salsa on the planet. There are several stands now in Austin, but my favorite location is the trailer at 6615 Berkman Drive.

● East Side King
2310 South Lamar, Suite #101, Austin, TX 78704
512-383-8382
Paul Qui’s East Side Kings trailer now has a new brick and mortar located just blocks away from the Alamo South Lamar. It is fast and has all the favorites from the trailer locations, plus new tacos!

● Hillside Farmacy
1209 East 11th street, Austin, Texas 78702
(512) 628-0168
A great brunch spot. It’s a little off the beaten path for festivalgoers, but their bloody marys and pork belly sandwiches are worth it.

●Mother's Cafe & Garden
4215 Duval St, Austin, TX 78751
(512) 451-3994
Located in the picturesque Hyde Park area of Austin, this place serves up vegetarian comfort food that tastes just like if Mom made it! They offer everything from spinach lasagna to Jamaican stir-fry on their specialty menu and have a great brunch on weekends for those with an aversion to bacon.

●Veggie Heaven
1914 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 457-1013
Veggie Heaven is the place to go to fulfill your vegan and vegetarian Chinese food cravings while in Austin. Located on the Drive they also offer ‘stir-fry wraps’ which is pretty much a Chinese Burrito and pretty much delicious. Afraid you won’t get full off carrot sticks and cabbage? Don’t worry- most of their meals use mock-meats! Check their website for full menu and a really cute collection of cat photos.

●Juiceland
1625 Barton Springs Rd Austin, TX 78704
(512) 480-9501
Juiceland has a bunch of locations, but this one is the closest to the cinema. Offering light and healthy bowls and salad Juiceland can help you boost your immune system with a wide variety of healthy smoothies, juices, shots, and (sadly non-alcoholic) cocktails. Great place to recover after a long night of…. Movie watching.

Burgers
Everyone loves a good burger and below are some of our favorite places to get that all-American standard.

● Justine’s
4710 E 5th St, Austin TX 78702
512-385-2900
An East Side French bistro (also recommended in the dining section) has a fabulous burger.

● Hopdoddy’s
1400 South Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
512-243-7505
This place delivers some incredibly tasty burger options. They bake their own buns, use fresh ingredients and have a great selection of fun burgers and giant tankards of beer.

● Nau's Pharmacy
1115 W Lynn, Austin, TX 78703
512-476-3663
This is a historical, hidden, traditional soda fountain lunch counter, with some of the best prices in the whole city.

● Dirty Martin’s
2808 Guadalupe Street, Austin, Texas 78745
512-477-3173
More authentic than any other burger diner in town, Dirty Martin’s has been slingin’ hot patties for the better part of a century. Try their homemade potato chips. Zowww!

● In and Out
4508 I-35 N, Austin, TX, 78751
800-786-1000
New to Austin and already one of our favorites. It’s fast, delicious, and the ideal sizzlin’ fast food burger. Order one “animal style”!

Barbeque
Texans have STRONG opinions about their barbecue. We are no exception. The best of the best barbecue joints close down shortly after lunch and many are closed on Sundays. Check the website on all of the top four before heading out. Texas Monthly produces the definitive Texas Barbecue Guide if you want to spend some time and explore the entire state looking for the unofficial Texas state food (the folks at the capital say that the official food is technically chili).

● Franklin Barbecue
900 E. 11th, Austin, TX 78702
512-653-1187
The hands-down best barbecue in Texas is relative newcomer Franklin's Barbecue, which rivals (and dare I say beats) any of the out-of-town options, and without the drive. Franklin's has sent shockwaves through the barbecue community and everyone is itching for a taste so the lines are long. If you want to go, get there at 9AM and you will have to wait two hours to get your meat at 11. It is worth it. Bon Apetit just named them “best barbecue in the world,” and we have to concur.

● Smitty's Market
208 South Commerce Street, Lockhart, TX 78644
512.398.9344
About 30 minutes south of town on Highway 183 South lies the oldest barbecue joint in Texas and the inspiration for Hill Country Barbecue in Manhattan. Their mantra is barbecue sauce was invented to mask inferior meat. Request juicy porkchops, fatty brisket, sausage and rare prime rib and you will leave satisfied. World Class.

● Louie Mueller’s
206 W Second St, Taylor, TX 76574
512-352-6206
Still in the family and truly authentic. World Class

● Snow’s
516 Main Street, Lexington, TX 78947
979-542-8189
It’s a haul out to Snows. Allocate about an hour and don’t get there later than noon or they will likely have already run out. Snow’s was the #1 ranked BBQ in Texas by Texas Monthly until they ranked Franklin as king. Nonetheless, Snow’s is also world class.

That's it. We can at this time recommend no other spot. Deviate from this list and you take your barbecue future in your own hands.

Trailer Food
Trailer options have exploded over the last couple of years. Excellent food of all types come out of these unassuming little metal boxes, many of which have top-notch chefs moonlighting from the best restaurants in Austin at the helm. Check out all the trailer options online at www.foodtrailersaustin.com or www.austinfoodcarts.com

● Via 313 Pizza
1111 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 939-1927
It’s the best pizza I’ve had ANYWHERE. No hyperbole. It’s “Detroit style.” I won’t tell you what that means; you just have to eat it. Get “The Carnivore”!!

● Chilantro Barbecue
Austin's answer to LA's Korean taco sensation Kogi Tacos. They are constantly on the move, so follow them @chilantrobbq.

●Patrizi's
2307 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
(512) 522-4834
According to me and my gang, the best food truck in Austin featuring a really cool vibe right next to butterfly bar and the best all-homemade Italian food in Austin.

Here are the purely vegan food trucks:

●BBQ Revolution
701 E. 53rd Street
Austin, TX 78751
512-584-7659
BBQ Revolution is super fun, super good, and super “Texas-y” for a vegan joint. Their menu is simple with just the 5$ BBQ Sandwich or the 9$ Revolution Plate. Careful though, they’re closed on Monday and Tuesday and open from 11 AM – 3 PM every other day,

●Pulse Vegan h
603 W Live Oak St
Austin, TX 78704
512-507-9241
Specializing in vegan and gluten-free sandwiches and sides Pulse Vegan happily dishes out the goods for weekly lunch (11-2) and supper (5-8) servings but is known to sell-out on weekends.

●Red Rabbit Cooperative Bakery512) 537-8546While no longer located in their trailer location, you can find Red Rabbit vegan donuts at a variety of Austin locations, including every Sunday at the Mueller Farmers’ Market and select Whole Foods.

●Unity Vegan Kitchen
701 E 53rd St, Austin, TX 78751
(972) 345-4990
Unity Vegan Kitchen is delicious and has both savory and sweet comfort food from all regions. Right now they're high up in the ranks as being one of the best vegan food trucks in the country!

●Vegan Yacht
2908 fruth st, Austin, TX 78705
(512) 619-7989
Vegan Yacht’s burritos, bowls and wraps are both delicious and healthy- isn’t it great when those two things come together? They’re slogan is “Close your eyes, point, then order. It will be tasty” and they’re not lying.

Here are trucks that are vegetarian, where everything can be modified to be vegan:

●Conscious Cravings
1311 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704
(512) 582-9182
Concsious Cravings is committed to offering healthy, tasty and local vegetarian and vegan wraps and salads. With biodegradable packaging this is one meal that really doesn’t need to way heavy on your conscious!

●Shhmaltz
913 E Cesar Chavez St Austin, Texas 78702
512-529-1882
Now vegetarian Jewish deli food may seem like sort of a niche market, but I assure you Shhmaltz can please a wide variety of pallets. With sandwiches named after famous Jewish personalities, and a pickle sampler on the menu, how could you go wrong?

●Barton Springs Picnic
1720 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, Texas
Barton Springs Picnic is a new, snazzy food trailer park right beside Zilker that has an offering for everyone. With picnic tables and air-conditioning this isn’t your typical trailer park. Great place to get a good meal and some rays before submitting to a night of movie watching.

Trailer food joints keep unpredictable hours, so check the website or follow them on twitter.

Dinner
As the sun goes down, you’d better fuel up for the chaotic nights of the festival!!

● Uchi
801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
512-916-4808
Within walking distance of the Alamo South Lamar, Uchi is hands down our favorite upscale restaurant in Austin. Executive Chef and co-owner Tyson Cole was named one of the top ten chefs in America by Food and Wine Magazine and has competed on Iron Chef. Uchi features an ever-changing menu of Japanese and fusion dishes; the fish is flown in daily from the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.

● Uchiko
4200 N. Lamar, Austin, TX 78756
512-916-4808‬
Oddly our second favorite restaurant in Austin is the new North offering from Uchi's Tyson Cole: Uchiko. With a completely different menu than Uchi and a larger bar area, Uchiko offers a similar style of Japanese fusion and traditional Japanese dishes. Like Uchi, we recommend the Omakase tasting menu and allocating enough time to savor.

● Olivia
2043 S. Lamar, Austin, TX 78704
512-804-2700
This is your nearby destination for fine dining. Head chef James Holmes was nominated by Food and Wine Magazine as "people's best new chef" of 2011. James Holmes was also once behind the kitchen wizardry at the Alamo Drafthouse Village.

● Enoteca Vespaio
1610 S Congress Ave, Austin TX 78704
512-441-7672
Truly impressive Italian cuisine that won’t decimate your wallet. Austin-owned. Fancy enough, but not to the point where it ruins a good time. The desserts ain’t so shabby either!

● Hoover’s
2002 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722
512-479-5006
“Stick-to-your-ribs” soul food and southern home cooking. The atmosphere is not so great, but the food overcompensates. We recommend the fried pork chops.

● Barley Swine
2024 S. Lamar, Austin, TX 78704
512-394-8150
Very small and often packed gastropub with an excellent beer menu and an ever-changing selection of small plates.

● Odd Duck
1201 S Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX 78704
512-433-6521
A wide variety of dishes that all manage to hit the mark perfectly. Known as one of the more desirable destinations in the area for both cuisine quality and outstanding service.

● Qui
1600 e 6th street austin, texas 78702
512 436 9626
A high end experience from the local culinary wizard who won the America’s Top Chef TV series award. Some say this place serves the best steak in Texas. That’s one mighty claim!

● NoVa
87 RAINEY ST. AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701
512 382 5651
Texas style food (pork belly, mac & cheese) in a modern environment in the trendy newish Rainey Street neighborhood. Take a walk along the river and you can fill your guts at this place!

● Olive and June
3411 glenview ave. austin, tx 78703
512.467.9898
Fancyish Italian with a somewhat Southern lean. Said to be a fantastic date spot, or ideal for pinkie-extending pigging out with pals.

● Swifts Attic
315 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701
512-482-8842
A new world gastropub that combines multiple elements in creative ways. Complimented for the variety of both dishes and drink!

● Ramen Tatsu-ya
8557 Research Blvd, Ste 126, Austin TX 78758
(512) 834-8810
This unassuming ramen stand is legendary, and has people driving in from all over the galaxy.

Late Night
There’s no such thing as sleep at Fantastic Fest. But hunger is another story. After the last round of movies, shovel in some grub to steel yourself for tomorrow’s insanity!

● 24 Diner
600 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX, 78703
472-5400
Open 24 hours, and is a good option for any meal of the day. Everything they serve is high quality.

● The Highball
1120 S. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
We do own the place, so I am a bit biased, but The Highball offers private and public karaoke, a ‘60s-style diner and cocktail lounge. Plus… it’s located in the LOBBY!

● Parkside
301 East Sixth, Austin, TX 78701
512-474-9898
Sean Cirkiel's downtown French bistro has great food and is open late right on Sixth Street.

● Backspace
507 San Jacinto, Austin, TX 78701
512-474-9899
Right behind Parkside is his new wood-fired Pizza concept. Intimite dining or a quiet hideout for a glass of wine.

● Thai Passion
620 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701
512-472-1244
Downtown is open late and is a godsend for post-midnight movies.

● Home Slice
1415 S Congress, Austin, TX 78704
512-444-7437
Open late on weekends and has incredible New York style pizza.

Other Fun Daytime activites:
● The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum (1800 N. Congress Avenue, 866-369-7108) in downtown Austin, Texas, tells the “Story of Texas” with three floors of interactive exhibits, the special effects show, The Star of Destiny, in the Texas Spirit Theater, and Austin's only IMAX Theatre, featuring the signature large-format film, TEXAS: THE BIG PICTURE.

● Shopping on South Congress. The South Congress district has become the hippest retail district in the city. There are a multitude of boutiques, antique stores and galleries, but our favorite three are Blackmail (1202 S Congress Ave, 512-326-7670) specializing in cool fashion, gifts and vintage cowboy boots; Yard Dog, (1510 S Congress Ave, 512-912-1613, http://www.yarddog.com) a gallery specializing in southern primitive and folk art; and Uncommon Objects (1512 S Congress Ave, 512-442-4000) which features just that: a vast array of cool antiques and collectible uncommon objects.

● The best comic book store in town is Austin Books & Comics (5002 North Lamar Blvd, 512-454-4197).Farewell Books (913 E Cesar Chavez, 512-476-3669) is a wildly eclectic and interesting book store with a good collection of zines, a nicely curated selection of novels and non-fiction, and excellent choices on the subject of contemporary art and culture.

● Swimming at McKinney Falls State Park (5808 McKinney Falls Parkway, Austin TX 78744, 512-243-1643) McKinney Falls, just 15 minutes out of central Austin, is home to two natural secluded waterfall-fed swimming holes. You can also hike/swim at Hamilton Pool (512-264-2740). One of the most beautiful spots in the hill country, Hamilton Pool is a waterfall that flows into a collapsed grotto near the Perdenales River. Call ahead, as the trail is sometimes closed. This and McKinney Falls are both great spots for an afternoon picnic. And for downtown Austinites, the most popular sun n' water spot remains Barton Springs, fairly near the Alamo South Lamar at 2101 Barton Springs Road. You can also rent a canoe here for a jaunt on the Colorado River.

● If you want to return home looking a little more Texan, you can pick up boots, hats, western shirts and boot cut jeans at local favorite Allens Boots (1522 S Congress Ave - (512) 447-1413).

● Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the largest urban bat colonies in the United States. At sunset every night, you can stand on the bridge and watch 500,000 bats emerge from under the bridge for their nightly feeding. Austin360.com has all the bat info you need.

● Every self-respecting city has one great record store, and Austin's beats them all. End of an Ear Records is fairly close to FF headquarters (2209 S. 1st St, 512-462-6008) and features the absolute best selection of LPs, CDs, cassettes, DVDs and even VHS that you'll ever find at an independently owned shop. From Lithuanian psychedelic albums to throat-ripping black metal to Weird Al, they have it all, and are the nicest guys in the universe.

This is an incomplete list of what our city has to offer, but it does represent some of the things that we here at Fantastic Fest believe make Austin a pretty special place. No matter what your course, we hope you enjoy your time here in Austin!